From near and far, LGBT youth build community at Youth Pride

As Raquel Blake, the fabulous drag queen who emceed the 15th annual Massachusetts Youth Pride festival, took to the stage May 9 to kick off the day's festivities at the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common, the clouds that hung ominously in the air for much of the morning let loose a light rain shower. All around the bandstand umbrellas began popping up throughout the crowd, but the estimated 4000 to 5000 attendees mostly stayed put, willing to brave the rain to celebrate Youth Pride. Said Blake, "It's a little cloudy, but I think we can manage to put a little rainbow up in the sky, can't we?" Judging from the cheers that rang out from the crowd it was clear that most everyone agreed.

By the time Blake directed the youth to begin lining up for the Youth Pride parade, the rain had subsided and the clouds thinned out, giving way to a bright, if occasionally overcast, day.

Boston has hosted Youth Pride since its inception, but every year it draws in LGBT young people and their allies from across the state and around New England. Kathryn DoMonte, a high school sophomore from Fall River who came with a group of about 25 students from her school's gay/straight alliance (GSA), said seeing the Common crowded with LGBT and LGBT-friendly kids was a welcome change from the atmosphere in her home city.

"We were excited for a field trip to meet new people and experience something different, because Fall River's not really gay friendly. ... It's really cool. Everyone has different styles, and it shows not just a certain style is gay, it reaches everyone," said DoMonte.

The young people gathered on the Common were dressed in a wide range of styles. Several found creative ways to incorporate rainbows into their outfits: rainbow socks, tie-dyed rainbow shirts, rainbow flags worn as capes. Others went for a different look, from the aspiring drag diva to those decked out in their finest goth wear. Yet while some youth went all out, most of the attendees were dressed in standard American high school clothes, give or take some LGBT-positive buttons and T-shirt slogans.

Spencer Jean-Louis, a Brockton High School senior, was attending his second Youth Pride. For Jean-Louis, the highlight of the event was hanging out on the Common with friends and meeting young people from other schools and other parts of the state.

"For once you're not the minority, you're the majority, and it feels pretty good," said Jean-Louis.

Gabriel Kaknes, a Brockton High graduate and sophomore at Clark University, said he attended Youth Pride for the first time two years ago. Kaknes, who is a trans man, said back in high school he was the only out trans member of the GSA and the only out trans person in his school. His favorite event is the parade, which gives him a chance to connect with other young people facing similar circumstances.

"You get out and you walk and you start talking with other people, and when you start talking with them you're like, 'Oh, yeah, I had this happen to me, but I'm a better person and I'm stronger for it regardless of the adversity I faced,' so I was really happy to be able to go on the Pride march. It was a wonderful way to meet other people," said Kaknes.

The Youth Pride March began shortly before noon, traveling through the streets of Boston around the Common and past the Massachusetts State House. At the head of the pack was a Duck Tour boat carrying many of the Youth Pride organizers, followed by a mixed contingent made up of members of the Boston Alliance of GLBT Youth (BAGLY), the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), and the Theater Offensive queer theater company. Much of the parade was made up of GSAs and LGBT youth groups, each carrying colorful banners representing their organizations. One group of youth chanted, "Hey hey, ho ho, homophobia's got to go!" In another contingent different groups of youth alternated the chants, "I like women!" and "I like men!" One pair of young women held a sign with the message, "Hot Bitches: Dykes in Medway," and two arrows pointing to their faces.

Despite being in its 15th year, many of this year's attendees were there for the first time. Jess Collins, a college freshman from Hyannis who came up with the Cape and Islands Gay/Straight Youth Alliance (CIGSYA), had never attended any Pride event before this year's Youth Pride.

"I'm never been to something like this before. It's a great experience, I love it," said Collins, who was chatting with other CIGSYA youth and a group of students from Braintree at the start of the festival. One of those students, an eighth grader named Caroline who asked that her last name not be used, said she and a group of friends from Braintree, most of them high school freshmen, took the train into Boston for the event. She said this was the group's first Pride, and for her the highlight of the day was meeting new people.

"They look like a lot of fun, all these people here," said Caroline, glancing around at the thousands of young people gathered on the Common.